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Teams & Riders Official Wout Van Aert thread

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Lance and Johann deserve to be ignored. What they "understood" about cycling was skewed so badly by their pursuit of glory as to question any position they'd take. That they would slither back to make a buck in the sport with their advice is what it is; sleazy.
Dumb Lance doesnt even know the name of the guy who slapped him left and right up Verbier ("cantordor, quantor... Whatever") and poor George still thinks Pogi got 2nd in Ronde, lol wtf
 
He looks human right now because he has a chronic back injury that mucks up his ability to plan out a season. When he’s healthy he’s just as big a freak, one with heavily overlapping but not identical talents.
Disagree completely. MVDP (even at 100%) has never done anything remotely like what Wout is doing in this tour - day, after day, after day...And the mountain climbing has been bizarre since he joined the JV "programme". Think back to a races like RVV or AG in 2019 - when both were still pretty fresh on the road, w/o the benefit of a professional road program - small difference, but Wout basically couldn't hold MVDP's wheel on power climbs. Now we're supposed to believe a guy as big power guy like Wout can singlehandedly string out the peloton from the gun and then hang around and drop a guy like Pocagar in the finale on the hardest high mountain stage in the tour? JV is ruining the sport right now. If I were MVDP right now I would say the hell with it and just go full-time MTB and maybe mix in some silly gravel races.
 
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Disagree completely. MVDP (even at 100%) has never done anything remotely like what Wout is doing in this tour - day, after day, after day...And the mountain climbing has been bizarre since he joined the JV "programme". Think back to a races like RVV or AG in 2019 - when both were still pretty fresh on the road, w/o the benefit of a professional road program - small difference, but Wout basically couldn't hold MVDP's wheel on power climbs. Now we're supposed to believe a guy as big power guy like Wout can singlehandedly string out the peloton from the gun and then hang around and drop a guy like Pocagar in the finale on the hardest high mountain stage in the tour? JV is ruining the sport right now. If I were MVDP right now I would say the hell with it and just go full-time MTB and maybe mix in some silly gravel races.
Don't do drugs, kids.

1/ In 2019 Van Aert was already at TJV.
2/ At no point in history since the fall of the Roman Empire, was Van Aert not able to hold MvdP's wheel on climbs. Maybe you mean sub 5 minute efforts, which are COMPLETELY irrelevant to 20-30 minute climbs. And even if you mean sub 5 minute efforts, Van Aert has dropped Van der Poel more often than the other way around on those climbs, if you include CX.
 
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Disagree completely. MVDP (even at 100%) has never done anything remotely like what Wout is doing in this tour - day, after day, after day...And the mountain climbing has been bizarre since he joined the JV "programme". Think back to a races like RVV or AG in 2019 - when both were still pretty fresh on the road, w/o the benefit of a professional road program - small difference, but Wout basically couldn't hold MVDP's wheel on power climbs. Now we're supposed to believe a guy as big power guy like Wout can singlehandedly string out the peloton from the gun and then hang around and drop a guy like Pocagar in the finale on the hardest high mountain stage in the tour? JV is ruining the sport right now. If I were MVDP right now I would say the hell with it and just go full-time MTB and maybe mix in some silly gravel races.
So Van der Poel finishing 6th in LBL on a not ideal terrain for him against the best and completely fresh Ardennes classic type riders the day after he does a 50 km solo on Flemish terrain isn't suspect at all?
 
Of course, but you seem to miss my point. It's likely my fault for not phrasing it correctly. I brought those numbers to showcase that he didn't do comparable numbers to Vingegaard and Pogacar on the last 2 climbs, even though he rode with them and finished not far behind. It was great performance but nothing mutant or abnormal. Also I think he will never be able to successfully race against "6.5wkg" climbers when they're going full gas. Fresh or not. It's not going to happen. I hope you know what I meant right now.

As of him losing more weight. He is already very lean. He would hurt himself by doing that. I hope he'll never go this route because this is dangerous.
I don't think Van Aert can win the Tour in the modern area. And not against Pogacar and Vingegaard. He could have won the Tour in the period of Indurain and even Wiggins.

But it's not just about being the best at hard and steep final climbs. Van Aert would lose time there, but still limit the damage (by being in the wheels beforehand and finishing the final climb at an even pace).
In other stages, in the low mountain range, in time trials and with the bonuses, he would then take time back.
 
He looks human right now because he has a chronic back injury that mucks up his ability to plan out a season. When he’s healthy he’s just as big a freak, one with heavily overlapping but not identical talents.

As I keep saying and I have no reason to change my mind just yet - Wout is a better all round road rider, it's almost unarguable. However, MvdP is the more complete all round cyclist, thanks to his superior technical skills.
 
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Was there a dominant performance such as this at any point in Tour history?
Any point? Merckx winning yellow and green in same year? I think of some distinct eras. Pre-1984 cycling is a French, Italian, Belgian, and Spanish (?) dominated sport. LeMond and others broadened it and English speaking riders joined in. Colombians and other South American riders came in numbers. The Major British influx around the build up to the London Olympics. And then the big Eastern European rise we’ve witnessed more recently. And now the Africans are coming. The field is deeper and broader than ever. By a lot. That makes WVA’s performance all the more impressive.
 
Wout was done after yesterday, understandably. At that moment I think his race finished. I knew he wouldn't sprint the second I saw him in the speedsuit, he has won here before, he has the points record and he his teammate and good friend won the race. I don't think he would stand a chance against Phillipsen today anyways, he showed he was on a different level two days ago.

Chapeau Wout, despite Vingegaard winning, I think what I will remember the most is Wout's exploits this Tour. I wonder what races he will attend outside of Worlds for the rest of the season
 
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